Ashtray



Nbv. 8, 1960 c. c. ALDRIDGE ASHTRAY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 20, 1957 FIG. 2

INVENTOR CLAUDE C. ALDRIDGE INVENTOR ATTORNEY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 8, 1960 c. c. ALDRIDGE ASHTRAY Filed March 20, 1957 CLAUDE C ALDRIDGE FIG.3

ASHTRAY Claude C. Aldridge, P.0. Box 67, La Grange, N.C.

Filed Mar. 20, 1957, Ser. No. 647,437

1 Claim. (Cl. 220'4) This invention relates to the creation of articles of various kinds having various uses and particularly to small novelties or the like used daily and ordinarily manufactured from materials which are not critical but are readily available in plentiful supply.

The invention relates more particularly to a novelty in the form of a container or receptacle capable of being used in various ways and for various purposes including for example as an ash receptacle, as one of a number of toys such as a toy train, baby crib, washtub, or other plaything.

Receptacles of various kinds have been produced from many types of materials. These have been costly and lacking in appeal and accordingly were not commercially successful.

It is an object of the invention to provide a use for material which ordinarily would be discarded as scrap, to give employment by producing an article or articles desired by the public and which will afford a return from a minimum investment in material.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novelty such as a receptacle easily and quickly from material which would ordinarily be discarded as waste and which receptacle will be attractive and unique and have a widespread appeal.

Another object of the invention is to provide a receptacle which can be used in a number of ways, as for example as an ashtray, and which when so used can be emptied and readily cleaned from either end and which when used as an ashtray will offer resistance to the blowing of the contents from the ashtray by the wind.

A further object of the invention is to provide an ashtray capable of being placed on a supporting surface or attached by hangers upon an inclined surface such as the dash of an automobile.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective illustrating one aspect of the invention;

Fig. 2, a top plan view;

Fig. 3, a central longitudinal section;

Figs. 4 and 5, sections respectively on the lines 4-4 and 5-5 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6, a perspective illustrating a method of mounting the invention on a surface.

Briefly stated the invention is adapted to be produced from scrap material obtained in the manufacture of Venetian blinds. The body of the device is produced from a light metal channel corresponding to the bottom rail of a Venetian blind, and upon the ends of the same are placed the plastic end caps which ordinarily fit upon the ends of the bottom rail of a Venetian blind. The top portion of the receptacle is produced from a pair of metal slides each slightly longer than one-half the length of the opening in the metal channel after the plastic end caps are applied. These metal slides have thin edges fitted between the opposed top grooves of the metal States Patent 0 ice channel so that they slide, one over the other, allowing an opening of about 40% between the spacing of the plastic end caps. The metal slides which form the top are provided with a handle made from a plastic tassel button. This button extends upwardly and can be used to receive therein the end of a cigarette. The receptacle is supported preferably by four legs formed from additional tassel buttons with their ends beveled so that they will engage a supporting surface. Instead of legs the device may be supported by a pair of pivot pins and brackets on a surface such as the instrument panel of an automobile.

With continued reference to the drawings, the body of an ashtray or other receptacle is formed from a shell or length of light metal channel corresponding to the bottom rail of a Venetian blind. This channel has a curved central portion 10 and a pair of side portions 11 and 12 with central external corrugations or grooves 13 and 14, one along each of the two sides.

The upper edges 15 and 16 of the sides are bent inwardly to provide opposed longitudinal grooves 17 and 18 to receive the side edges of a pair of metal slides 19 and 20, telescopically slidable one relative to the other. The uppermost of said slides is provided with an operating knob 21 held in place by means of a bolt 22 and the adjacent end of the slide 20 is provided with a recess 23 so that the head of the bolt may move into the same when the slides are telescoped.

Over the ends of the metal channel which forms the body of the device are placed a pair of conventional end caps 24 of a configuration corresponding to the crosssectional shape of the metal channel and each end cap having an annular flange 25 adapted to fit over such metal channel.

From the foregoing it will be understood that a receptacle is provided having a slidable cover and that such receptacle may be used in a number of ways, as, for example, in placing the same on a horizontal support. When so utilized a series of knobs 26 having angular portions 27 may be attached by bolts 22 to the bottom of the receptacle to form legs.

Instead of supporting the receptacle on a flat surface it can be mounted to an angular surface such as the dash 28 of an automobile or other angular surface as illustrated in Fig. 6. In order to do this, the end caps 24 are provided with an .opening 29 for the reception of a first pin 30 carried by a bracket 31 with such a pin extending from each of the end caps. All then that is necessary in order to support the device is. to support such pivot pins by means of conventional brackets 31 connected by screws or other fasteners 32 to the dash 28 of an automobile or other member.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the ashtray forming receptacle of the present invention is composed only of parts which are conventional in the manufacture of Venetian blinds and the channel and cover portions are scrap.

Also it will be apparent that the device produced can be made of any desired length, is capable of being emptied and cleaned from either end by simply removing the end cap, that due to its particular configuration it will resist wind blowing ashes from the same. Further, it will be apparent that the device is attractive, can be easily assembled, can be produced at low cost, can be used for other things such as toys, for example, a crib, wash tub. or locomotive and in many other ways.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the accompanying claim.

What is claimed is:

A receptacle comprising an elongated trough having a generally U-shaped cross sectional area along its length, said trough having substantially parallel sidewalls and open at its remote ends and along its top, a pair of end caps covering the remote ends of the trough with each of ,said caps removable therefrom wherebythe trough may be emptied from either end, each of the caps comprising an end closing wall and a resilient annular skirt, said annular skirt overlapping the ends of the trough to retain the end caps to the trough with a frictional fit to enable easy removability, the trough having opposed internal grooves the entire length of its top opening, a pair of overlapping'telescoping cover panels located'b'etween the end caps, said cover panels being slidably mounted Within said internal opposed grooves along the top of the trough for movement within limits defined by said end closing Walls of the end caps, the nonoverlapping ends of the cover panels extending beneath the skirt of said end caps when the cover panels are in a closed position, one of the cover panels having a knob like handle to facilitate slidably moving the same, at least two spaced knob like supports secured adjacent each opposed outer and upwardly curved surfaces of the U-shaped trough, the cover panels having a combined length exceeding the length of the opening at the top of the trough and overlapping one another centrally of the trough whereby one cover panel may be moved in an opposite direction relative to the other to completely close the trough opening and may be moved toward the other to expose the trough opening and provide access to the interior of the trough.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS one... 

